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Bono Vox, the charismatic leader of U2, who celebrates his 64th birthday today, is still going strong, 44 years after his debut…

Born in Dublin in 1960, Paul David Hewson lost his mum at the age of fourteen before the plan to form U2 with guitarist The Edge (real name David Howell Evans), bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr really took shape at the very end of the '70s. But he was already using his pseudonym Bono Vox (inspired by a hearing aid shop) for his pre-adolescent experiments with his Glasnevin North mates, including Gavin Friday (later Virgin Prunes).

"A Day Without Me", U2's first single for Island, was released in early 1980. It marked the beginning of a collaboration with the legendary label that continues to this day. Bono soon displayed a charisma that is still intact, as well as incisive, committed songwriting. The song "Sunday Bloody Sunday", which evokes the pacifist march by Catholic Northern Irish against the civil war in 1972, which was put down in blood, is emblematic in this respect. Today, Bono probably sees himself as much as an activist and philanthropist as a rock singer!

While he travelled to Kyiv (accompanied by The Edge) in May 2022 to perform "Pride" in the metro and condemn Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, Bono, like many artists of his generation, has also succumbed to the siren song of Las Vegas. U2, now without Larry Mullen, gave forty concerts in residence there at very high prices. This immersive experience was an opportunity to replay the album 'Achtung Baby' (1991) in an exceptional environment.

Well aware of the potentially negative aspect of these golden residences in the Nevada desert, The Edge defended themselves by praising the creative aspect of their show in this Sphere of pharaonic dimensions: over 110 metres high and up to 150 metres wide!

(Picture: © Etienne Tordoir) 

Photo caption: Bono (with Jim Kerr from Simple Minds) on stage at the Werchter Festival (Belgium) in July 1983 (© Etienne Tordoir)